Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
It's true! Temptation is not sin. Luther was wise when he said that you can't keep birds from flying over your head, but you can stop them from making a nest in your hair.
A sinful thought may flit through your head--we live in a sinful world with evil all around us. And it is sin to welcome that thought, to entertain it and cherish it.
The evil act begins with the evil thought played out in the mind, tolerated, maybe enjoyed momentarily. That is the time, the moment, to firmly say "No!" and get rid of it. Command it to depart! A thought of envy or jealousy of someone else is poison to one's own happiness and it also casts a blight on the other person, for it cannot be hidden.
The Lord has thought of all these temptations and He has provided for them. For example, He says, "Rejoice with those who rejoice" (Rom. 12:15). The simple fact that He has commanded us thus is evidence that He gives us the victory over the temptation to be jealous of someone else's success. Along with the joy we experience at the other person's success is our humble prayer for that person that it will not become a snare.
The dear Lord is working through the Holy Spirit, night and day, 24/7, worldwide, to teach and train His people to "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ" (Gal. 6:2). This is the same as His work to call out and to discipline His "144,000" to "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (Rev. 14:1-5). Thank the Lord that His command is a promise of victory over envy!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: August 4, 2008.
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